The price of copper seems to fluctuate with the price of gasoline - they both go up together and down together. Here in Cen-Tex it has gone down around 5% from what it has been (retail at the local supply house), but the cost the recyclers are paying for bare bright is around $2.65/lb.
According to American Recycler, October copper in zone #5 is $2.65 for #1 and $2.54 for #2 (zone 5 - southeast).
Zone #4 - north east: $2.65 & $2.58
Zone #3 - mid south: $2.63 & $2.55
Zone #2 - mid north: $2.29 & 2.14
Zone #1 - west: $2.50 & $2.39
Aluminum cans are $0.64, $0.60, $0.52, $0.49, $0.48 in zones 5,4,3,2,1.
Copper theft tends to follow the copper price. GA is making it tougher on copper thieves: >$500 is a felony, sellers must sign documentation and the recyclers must copy their ID, record their name & address, vehicle & tag info, and recyclers can't pay cash within 24 hours, and can't make transactions for nonferrous metals between 9PM and 6AM. Recyclers must keep each transaction record for a minimum of 2 years.
Officers can put a hold on suspect materials for up to 45 days while it is being investigated.
Various organizations are also offering rewards. Good record keeping and documentation of theft helps with the convictions. There are also some new ways being developed to identify cable, such as markings that will show up under special lighting.